Recent attacks on sailors in the Caribbean and Indonesia have raised concerns about the safety of world cruising, but the reality is that with a small amount of caution this…
Cruising
Bear necessities: Cruising the Broughton islands on Canada’s Pacific coast
We left Dead Point at 0800 in a flat calm and entered Beware Passage – inauspicious names for cruising in dense fog, but we had used this rock-ridden channel before…
Bluewater cruisers give us their top pick of galley equipment
Pressure cookers were the most popular galley appliance for their convenience and time- and energy-efficient means of preparing food. An airtight lid allows the ingredients inside to cook speedily as…
Cockroaches, weevils, moths. How to keep bugs at bay on board
A movement caught out of the corner of my eye: something furtive, small and fast. I must have imagined it, but I’ll have to take a closer look. Reluctantly, I…
French sailor on a world tour via the North West Passage with a red hen
Guirec Soudée met Monique during a stopover in the Canary Islands when she joined him on what had been up to then a solo transatlantic voyage. The 24-year-old Breton was…
What are the best remedies for seasickness? We find out in our transatlantic survey
Seasickness is an age-old problem, but how common is it and how can we prevent or treat it? We conducted a survey among 450 sailors taking part in the ARC…
Bras d’Or lake in Nova Scotia is an oasis of calm
Our Mason 44, Frances B, on the run from ever-colder climes farther north, swept by Cape Anguille at the tip of St George Bay on the south-west coast of Newfoundland.…
A late summer cruise on the wild west coast of Ireland
lt’s the last sail of the season. The harbours are empty save for a few stragglers in denial of a season that never was, hoping to catch a final magical…
World ARC crews talk to us in Colombia, first stop on their circumnavigation
Thirty-three yachts are in the early stages of a 26,000-mile circumnavigation with the sixth World ARC. It’s a 15-month cruise in company from Saint Lucia and the first stop was…
Sail repairs on the fly – how to make essential fixes while at sea
During last year’s ARC I was to be found at one point on the pulpit restitching the foot tape of our headsail. I was clipped on a short tether with…
Discovery 48 – a smaller version of the impressive bluewater Discovery 55
It was the Discovery 55 that launched Discovery Yachts 15 years ago. The Marchwood-based yard specialises in bluewater cruisers for couples and, although this 55 was considered a large yacht…
Cruising guru Jimmy Cornell transits the North West Passage in Aventura IV
The North West Passage has been described as the Everest of sailing. Since Roald Amundsen’s successful transit in 1903-1906, a total of only 94 sailing boats have been able to…
Dismasting, sinking, damage – ARC 2015, an event-filled rally
On the third night of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC 2015) a small Italian yacht in the racing division, with five Italian sailors on board, broached in a gust.…
Hands-on advice for cruising in ice – expedition to Greenland
“Turn left after the berg with the Marge Simpson hair-do and continue past the one that looks like the Sydney Opera House,” Susie, the first mate, called from the top…
High adventure in Iceland on board an expedition yacht
Cold. We came to Iceland expecting it and the passage to Grimsey Island didn’t disappoint. For eight hours Hummingbird beat into a bitter northerly beneath a sky like a dishrag.…
Google Earth navigation: how to sail off the chart with confidence using satellite imagery
Cruising in remote tropical regions can be challenging, especially where there are no charts suitable for pilotage. Often the charts that do exist are old and inaccurate. To make matters…
Ocean Cruising Club mourns Mary Barton, one of ocean sailing’s leading figures
Mary Barton, Admiral of the Ocean Cruising Club, died on 1 December, a few days before her 95th birthday. Mary was an intrinsic part of the club since its earliest days.…
To the fair isle of Fair Isle for a Fair Isle sweater!
Fair Isle sweaters have devotees as diverse as the Prince of Wales and the glamour model Carmen Electra. Fashion chains such as Whistles and Zara offer Fair Isle-inspired woollens. But…
Cruising Georgia – the wilderness coast of the eastern USA
I felt the urge to roar “Ho, ho, break out the grog boys, this is it!” but it wasn’t 1720 and there was just Nancy and me. Our Mason 44,…
Thought you’d left the paperwork behind when going off cruising? How to cut the paper trail
For those who choose to escape the confines of conventional life and spend a few months, years or even the rest of our lives at sea there are many challenges…